Reporter staff
Auburn Police have arrested a suspect and recovered a weapon in the shooting death investigation of two victims at Les Gove Park.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man, has ties to Auburn and the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho area, where the victims also are believed to have been from, police said.
A man and a woman who were shot to death late Sunday at the popular park were considered transient, had ties to the Coeur d’Alene area and were in Auburn to work at a Muckleshoot fireworks stands through the Fourth of July, police determined.
The 32-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were shot and killed at the park on Ninth Street Southeast near Auburn Way South around 9:29 p.m.
The victims’ names have not been released.
Police and the Valley Regional Fire Authority responded to a report of multiple gunshot victims at the park. Firefighters and King County Medic One provided life-saving efforts to both victims. The man succumbed to his injuries at the scene; the woman, was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, and has since died, authorities said.
Police said after shooting the two, the assailant walked to his truck and drove off.
Around midnight Monday, Auburn Patrol officers came across the vehicle in south Auburn and found the suspect sleeping in his truck. He was taken into custody without incident.
It appears that all of the subjects involved knew each other to some extent, said Auburn Police Cmdr. Steve Stocker.
At this time, police are not releasing a possible motive or details of what occurred leading up to the shooting since charges have not been filed. Police also are not releasing any information about the murder weapon at this time.
The truck the suspect was driving has been taken into custody and is being held waiting for a search warrant. Police believe the weapon used in the crime is possibly in the truck.
Stocker said authorities will be presenting the case to the prosecutor’s office in the next day or two, when charges are expected to be filed against the suspected shooter.
According to Stocker, police officers and detectives have worked long hours and diligently followed up on leads and contacted possible witnesses. On Monday, detectives interviewed witnesses who were at the park during the shooting and detectives were able to develop a suspect and identify the truck he was driving.
